


Shall I Count the Ways

by propertyofpoeandbucky



Series: Spencer Reid [21]
Category: Criminal Minds (US TV)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-24
Updated: 2021-03-01
Packaged: 2021-03-10 22:40:23
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 36
Words: 19,973
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28274721
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/propertyofpoeandbucky/pseuds/propertyofpoeandbucky
Summary: You and Spencer are best friends. You’re in love with him and he’s in love with you, but neither of you know it nor decide to tell the other about their feelings. All the love is there, just hidden in the things you say and the things you do with one another.
Relationships: Spencer Reid & Reader, Spencer Reid & You, Spencer Reid/Reader, Spencer Reid/You
Series: Spencer Reid [21]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2071296
Comments: 6
Kudos: 63





	1. “Be safe”

**Author's Note:**

> From the this 50 Ways to Say I Love You list I found on tumblr, the fics take place in no particular order

Rrrrring. Rrrrriiing.

Spencer shifted his weight from his left leg to his right as he waited for you to answer your phone.

“Hello?” hearing your voice immediately brought a smile to his face.

“Hey! It’s me.”

“Spencer? Did you get a new number?” he can already see the confused look on your face.

He clears his throat and responds, “No, actually my phone broke. I was chasing after an unsub and tackled him to the ground. I landed on my side and I guess the impact shattered my phone.”

“Woah, woah, woah, hold on. You tackled someone? Like, football tackle someone?” he can practically see the smirk on your face through your teasing tone.

“I can be tough, Y/N!” 

Your laughter rang through his ears and he swears it’s one of the most beautiful things he’s ever heard, “I’m sorry, Spence, but you probably weigh just as much as Jack or Henry. I can’t imagine you tackling an unsub.”

He scoffed, “Well believe it, bubs! I wouldn’t be calling you from a payphone if it didn’t happen. I can also have Emily and Morgan testify! They were witnesses!”

“Okay, okay, Speedy Reidy, don’t get your boxers in a bunch. I believe you. But anyway, are you okay?”

“A broken phone and a sore hip, but other than that I’m fine.”

“Reid! C’mon, kid, everyone’s waiting for us!” you hear Derek in the background.

“I guess you gotta go?”

He sighs, “Yeah, but I’ll be back later tonight. I’ll come by with food and we can finish out marathon.”

“Alright, Speedy. I’ll see you then, be safe!”

“I will. See you. Bye.” he hangs up the phone and heads back to the SVU, a soft smile on his face.

“Y/N?” Derek asked, already knowing the young doctor was talking to you.

“Mhm.” Spencer responds as he gets into the car, he’s smiling to himself the entire plane ride home.


	2. “Make sure to come back to me, okay?”

“Do you have to go to this reunion?” Spencer asks with a pout as he watches you pack clothes and toiletries into your suitcase. 

You sigh, glancing back at your best friend, “Trust me, Spence, I don’t wanna go, but if I don’t, my parents won’t let me live it down. They’ve been waiting to brag about their daughter being a successful journalist.” you say the last part with an eye roll, “Where was this support when I first decided to go into journalism?”

“What am I going to do the whole week and a half you’re away?”

You snorted, “Speedy, you’ll probably be on a case, so the days will pass by quickly. During your down time, just call me. Please, literally, any time, just call me. Give me an excuse to be away from my aunts who love to gossip, uncles who are loud and obnoxious, and cousins who think they’re better than me. Please, Spence, call me any time.” you look him dead in the eyes and he smiles back at you. 

“You really don’t like your family, huh?”

You shrug, “I mean, I love them. They’re family but they’re all so….problematic. Not saying I’m not, I know I am. I’m too outspoken, too passionate, and all that shit I’ve hear before. But those can also be seen as good qualities. Being stuck up? Psh, there’s no good side to that.”

Spencer gives you a tight lipped smile, “Well, I’ll try to call you as much as possible. I’ll probably be bored out of my mind when you’re gone.”

You cock a brow at him, jutting your hip out and resting your hand on it, “You do know that you can hang out with other people, right? I know we’re best friends, but that doesn’t mean you have to spend all your time with me, Spencer.”

“I know. I love the team and they’re my family and my friends, but they don’t get me like you do.” there’s a softness in his eyes that you see and a part of you wants to say that it’s love, romantic love. But that can’t be right. You’re best friends. That’s it, there’s no romantic love to be seen.

“No one gets me like you do either, Speedy, but please for the love of all things that are holy and unholy, hang out with people while I’m away. I’ll even text Penelope to make sure you’re not sulking in your apartment the entire time I’m gone.”

“I don’t sulk,” he murmurs to himself and you snicker.

___________

“I’ll call you when I land,” you say as you hug Spencer before the TSA security line. 

“Make sure to come back to me, okay? Don’t forget about me, bubs,” he says with a grin and you playfully roll your eyes at him.

“How could I ever forget about you, Speedy Reidy?” you give him one last hug before grabbing your suitcase and heading towards security. Once you’re through, you give him one more wave before heading to your terminal.

Spencer watches your figure fade and he heads back to his car. A week and a half without you. What’s a guy gonna do?

___________

“Hey, you okay?” JJ asks as she hands Spencer a refill on his Long Island.

“Thanks,” he murmurs and takes a sip, “Haven’t really been able to speak with Y/N these past few days. It’s either she’s too busy or I’m too busy. It sucks.”

“Well, they do say that absence makes the heart grow fonder.”

“Makes it hurt as well,” he mumbles into his straw before taking another sip.

Bubs calling…

Your face and facetime request appears on Spencer’s phone and he immediately perks up, “I gotta take this.” he grabs his phone and heads out of the bar and so he could hear you better.

“Spencer?”

“Hey! Hey, I’m here! Can you hear me?”

“Yeah, yeah, I can. Can you hear me? Do I look okay?”

He smiles at his phone, “You look…perfect,” he then catches himself and begins to stutter, “I’m-I mean everything looks perfect. I-I could see you clearly!” he clears his voice and mentally facepalms himself.

“Where are you right now?” you try to get a look at Spencer’s background.

“At a bar with the team. We finished up the case and headed here. Celebratory drinks, you know?”

“Oh! I should probably leave you the-”

“No no! Please, stay. I-We haven’t really been able to talk.”

“I know,” you groan and he watches you plop onto your bed, “Everything’s so crazy and hectic. I’ve been playing tour guide to some of my family that’s never been around here and playing host to the family that’s staying with us. It’s insane. I barely get time to myself anymore.”

“Well I’m glad you found some time for me. Thought you forgot about me,” Spencer says with a smirk.

You snorted, “I told you, Speedy, I could never forget about you.”

“Y/N, come down and help your cousins with dinner!” your dad yells through your locked door and you groan.

“I gotta go.”

Spencer frowns, “Okay.”

“Hey, stop sulking! Go back inside that bar and spend some quality time with your friends! Go find a pretty girl and talk to her! Have your Derek be your wingman since I can’t be there to be that for you.”

The only pretty girl I want to talk to is you.

“I’ll try. Enjoy the rest of your night, bubs.”

“You too, Speedy. Take a shot for me, okay?”

“Okay.”

“I’ll talk to you soon. Bye!”

“Bye,” he murmurs somberly and ends the call with you. He pockets his phone and heads back inside the bar. 

Okay, he’s gonna drink more and enjoy the company of his friends…for you.


	3. “I got these because I know they’re your favourite”

Spencer gives a tight lip smile as he opens the door and allows customers to walk through. He then slipped into the vintage store, relishing in the soft lighting and the smell of antiques. 

“‘Sup, Speeds!” you call as you haul a huge vase from the backroom. 

Spencer immediately takes off his satchel and rushes to help you carry the thing to the intended display case. Once it was settled and locked up, you let out a breath of relief. 

“So, what’re you doing here?”

He shrugged, “I can’t visit my best friend while she’s at work?” You give him a pointed look to show him you weren’t convinced. He then chuckled to himself and scratched the back of his head, “My mom wants me to come by this weekend.”

“Ah the good ol’ Sin City. So you’re going?”

“Yeah and I was wondering if you wanted to come with me? She says she misses you.”

“Aaaww! I’d love to see Diana again! I’ll just have Rebecca take over the shop while we’re away.”

“Great! So, did you get anything interesting in lately?”

Your eyes lighten up and a big smile appears on your face, “I did! I think you might find some of the books that came in veeeery interesting, Spence!”

________________

“Spenceeeerr!” you whine as you and Spencer sit in the waiting area in front of your terminal, “I still hate you for booking an early ass flight.” 

“Sorry. I just figured we should get in as much time with my mom as possible.”

“You’re such a mama’s boy, it’s so adorable.” you pinch his cheeks, making his face scrunch up. 

He slaps your hands away and stands up, “I’m gonna get us some breakfast and more coffee. Any preference?”

“Nope!”

Spencer pats his pockets to make sure he had his wallet and phone and he headed to the restaurants some distance away. He picked the first one he saw, glancing at the menu before deciding what to get. But then he glances at the display case and he changes his decision on what to get you. 

Ten minutes later, Spencer’s approaching you with two coffees and a small paper bag, “I got these because I know they’re your favourite”, he says as he hands a smaller white bag from the larger one.

You peer inside and squeal, “Donut holes!” you immediately pluck one out and plop it into your mouth, “Denk woo!”

Spencer chuckled and pulled out his bagel and cream cheese and picked for himself. He continued to watch you happily indulge in your breakfast while he sported his own happy smile because he made you happy.


	4. “I saw this earlier and I thought of you”

Spencer lugged the keyboard up the stairs and to your apartment. He knocked on your door twice and waited the few seconds until you swung it open. 

You smiled at him and then looked down at the keyboard in his arms, “Whatcha got there, Spence?”

“I saw this earlier and I thought of you,” he whizzed past you and to your couch, setting the keyboard on your coffee table, “I remember you said you used to play piano as a kid and you were thinking about taking it up again. I was in the same boat so I figured we could re-learn together.”

“That’s so sweet, Speedy! But I have a feeling you’ll get it down way before I do. And I can always help you.”

“True,” you sit down beside him and excitedly clap your hands together, “This is so exciting!”

_______

You glare at Spencer as he plays a song perfectly on the piano. He ends the song and looks at you with a proud look in his eyes. But he sees you glaring and then he frowns, “What’s wrong?”

“It’s not fair! Just after a day, you’ve mastered this down! Curse you and your genius mind!”

You plop yourself onto his couch with a pout and he wraps an arm around your shoulder, “Y/N, you know this by now: I’m awesome.”

You look up at Spencer and giggle, “Yeah, I guess,” you grunt as you sit up, “Alright. So I clearly don’t have the genius brain that you do,” you gestured to Spencer’s head, “So I’m gonna have to start with something simple like…Twinkle Twinkle Little Star.”

Spencer chuckled, “That’s fair,” and proceeded to help you learn the notes and key positions.


	5. “Give me a hug please”

The forty minutes it takes to drive from DC to Annapolis was cut by ten minutes due to your speeding. Penelope had called you telling you that Spencer was exposed to some deadly virus, but he was given the antidote. He was fine, but you were still worried about him. How could you not be? You hear your best friend was close to death, so of course you drive like hell to see him. 

You burst into the hospital oozing with worry. You ask the nurse that the front desk where you could find Spencer. She handed you a visitor’s badge as she informed you what floor and room he’d be in. 

You anxiously rush into the elevator, whole body buzzing as it takes you to the fourth floor. You scurry down the hall, eyes going left to right, reading the room numbers. You then stop when you arrive to Spencer’s. You peer in and see Derek sitting beside a sleeping Spencer.

“Hey,” you whisper and he looks up, giving you a soft smile, “Hey, sweetheart.” he gives you a big, warm, brotherly hug, “Here take a seat.”

You take his spot and reach over, your hand resting on top of Spencer’s, “How’d this happen?” You look back up to Derek, eyes starting to water.

He sighs, running a hand over his face, “We were checking out a place for the unsub. I guess Reid bumped into something and the bacteria got out, immediately exposing him. Luckily, we got the unsub in time and he got the antidote. He was bad shape, but he made it. Your boy’s strong, Y/N.”

There was a soft knock at the door and you both look to see a nurse holding a tray of food, “Is it alright if I just leave this for him?”

“Yeah, sure,” you nod and she places the tray on his bedside table, “Thank you.”

The nurse gives you a soft smile before exiting the room. As soon as she’s gone, Derek swoops in and takes Spencer’s jello cup. 

You give him a stern look, “Derek, c’mon, don’t eat his jello. He loves jello!”

He just smirks as he pulls open the lid and digs in with a plastic spoon. With a shrug he says, “He can always get another one.”

You chuckle, shaking your head, “You’re such an asshole.”

Spencer makes a quiet groan that makes your ears perk. You watch as he stirs awake, groggy eyes slowly fluttering open, “Y-Y/N?” he rubs his eyes and takes note of the state that he’s in.

“Hey, Speedy Reidy, how are you feeling?”

“Still a little weak and tired,” he murmured. He then turned to Derek and zeroed in on the tiny cup in his hands, “Are you eating my jello?” he asks with a sad pout.

“Told you,” you stuck your tongue out and stood up, “I’ll go get you another one, Spence.”

“Wait,” he catches you by the wrist, “Give me a hug, please.”

You nodded and leaned over the bed, arms wrapping around your best friend, “I’m glad you’re alright, Spencer.” you press a kiss to his hairline and you see his eyes brighten up. You giggle and excuse yourself to go find a nurse that could get you another jello cup for Spencer. Spencer follows you out until you round a corner and can no longer be seen.

Derek takes you spot and whistles, “You’re so gone for her, aren’t ya, pretty boy?”

“Shut up,” Spencer murmurs as he blushes from Derek’s teasing, “We’re just best friends.”

“Uh huh, but you want more than that, don’t you?”

Spencer shrugs, “I love her, but…I don’t wanna lose her. So if this is the only way I can have her in my life, I’ll take it. Having her as my best friend is better than not having her at all.”

“Mhm…whatever you say, kid. All I know is that that girl would do anything for you.”

“Okay, and?”

Derek shrugs, “Might mean her feelings for you could be more than platonic.”

Spencer sits there thinking it over. Is it possible? Could you possibly return the same feelings he has for you? No. No way.

He shakes his head in denial, “We’re just best friends.”

“I got iiiit!” you sang, “Plus a little extra too!” you approached Spencer with three cups of jello in your hands.

“Another one for me?” Derek asks with a smile and a hand out to accept.

You shook your head, “Nope! You already had one! Spencer deserves two since you stole his and the other is for me.”

“If I was in Spencer’s place, would you get me extra jello, sweetheart?”

You snorted, “No. The only person who deserves extra jello is Spencer. No one else.”

You hand Spencer his jellos and a spoon and he gives you a grateful smile, “Thanks, bubs.”

“Of course, Speedy!”


	6. “I’d really love it if you came”really love it if you came

“Hello?”

“Sooooo…”

“What do you want?” he asks with a smirk and you can hear it through his voice.

“My cousin is holding an engagement party and I’d really love it if you came.”

“Sure, let’s just hope I don’t get cal-”

“Ssssshhhhh. Don’t jinx it, Speedy.”

“You know the Latin iynx came from the Greek name of the wryneck bird, iunx, associated with sorcery; not only was the bird used in the casting of spells and in divination, but the Ancient Romans and Greeks traced the bird’s mythological origins to a sorceress named Iynx, who was transformed into this bird to punish her for a spell cast on the god Zeus.”

“Huh. That’s really cool, Spence. Anyway, the engagement party is three weeks from now. When I find a dress, I’ll send you a picture and you can find a tie to match. Ugh, my cousin is making this a whole big fancy smancy shindig.”

You didn’t see it, but you can imagine Spencer making a look of distaste as he made a disgruntled noise, “Isn’t matching a little tacky?”

You scoffed, “No! I love matching! It’s cute! Anyways a customer walked in, I’ll talk to you later, m’kay?”

“Alright. Talk to you later, bye.”

______________

“Y/N! Hi!” your cousin squealed as she pulled away from the group she was talking to and wrapped her arms around you in a tight hug, “It’s so good to see you!”

You hugged her back with a smile, “Nice to see you too, Sharlene, and congrats!”

“Thank you! Finally, am I right?” she looks back to her future wife with a love filled expression, “Seven years with her and I still feel lovestruck by her.” she then notices Spencer awkwardly standing slightly behind you, “Oh! Spencer! Hi!” she went to hug him but stopped, “Wait, you don’t like touching. Sorry.”

He gives her his usual tight lipped smile and replied, “Thanks, and congratulations.”

“Thank you so much! It’s great seeing you guys, but I should probably go greet other guests. I didn’t expect this thing to be so tiring. Yeesh!”

You two wave as Sharlene leaves to move to another group. You immediately take Spencer’s hand and pull him towards the hors d'oeuvres. It’s true that Spencer isn’t particularly fond of people touching him, but he makes an exception for you.

“Foooood!” you take a plate, handing it to Spencer and then getting your own, filling it with a bunch of sandwiches, chicken nuggets, and other small handheld foods. 

Spencer mindlessly picked up something here and there, his sole focus on you as you excitedly piled your plate, hunger in your eyes. 

“I told you we should’ve had something light before coming here.”

“And I told you that I wanted to save room for the fancy smancy food that they’d be serving here!”

He chuckled as he waited for you on the side to finish up filling your plate, patience and adoration in his eyes.


	7. “Please stay”

Your ringing phone makes you stir from your sleep. The ID flashes Spencer’s name and you immediately answer, “Spencer? What’s wrong?”

“Hi,” he says quietly, “Sorry to wake you.”

“It’s okay. Is something wrong? Are you alright?” you sit up, rubbing the sleep from your eyes. 

“Sorry, it’s just-I can’t sleep.” you hear him sigh and rustling on his end. 

“Hmmm…” you tap your chin, trying to think of something to distract him and then you remembered something from the whale documentary you were watching before you fell asleep, “did you know that a blue whale’s penis, aka a dork, is the largest that ever existed?” 

You hear Spencer quietly chuckle and you find yourself smiling, “Yeah. The average adult male’s is fifteen feet long. Where’d you read that?”

“Didn’t read it. I was watching a whale documentary before I went to sleep.” you decide to lay back in bed, putting Spencer on speaker and placing your phone on your pillow beside your head, “When you’re away, I can’t sleep.”

This new fact takes Spencer by surprise, “I-I didn’t know that.”

“…yeah. Since you almost died from that virus or whatever, it became real that I could lose you any second. When you’re on a case, I get anxious and just stay up worrying about you, hoping that you’ll be safe. I-I-” you pause just don’t want to lose you, Spencer. You’re my best friend and I don’t want to lose you.”

“I can’t promise you that I won’t get hurt again or possibly…it’s part of my job, bubs. But I can promise you that I’ll do whatever I can to make sure I’ll come back home, to my mom…to you.”

You let out a deep breath, “I should probably go. I was supposed to be helping you, but I turned out to be a real Debby Downer. Ugh. Goodni-”

“No, wait. Please stay. We don’t even have to talk. We could just stay on the phone until we fall asleep. Is-Is that okay?’

You nodded, but then remembered he couldn’t see you, “Yeah. Okay.”

Twenty minutes go by in silence and then Spencer hears your soft snores. He smiles to himself and murmurs, “Sweet dreams, bubs,” and then ends the call. Minutes later, Spencer finds himself falling asleep as well.


	8. “Just- uh … try not to die. I’m really not bothered to replace you”

“Can-Can you just slow down really quick?” Spencer huffs as he tries to catch up with you. 

You slow down your jog to eventually a walk. This allows Spencer to finally reach you. He’s sweaty, red, and out of breath, and yet he still looks adorable to you. 

“I’m just-just going to have a heart attack real quick,” he pants and falls onto the grass beside the trail you’re running, “I regret this so much.”

You giggle and join Spencer on the grass, giving him your water bottle and helping him drink from it, “Ya know, Spence, I’m surprised that you’re not very active. You always say you’re chasing and tackling unsubs.”

“Always would-” he gulps more of your water down, “-would be an exaggeration. Usually it’s Morgan doing the running and tackling. Me? Not so much. I just say always so I can sound cool.”

You giggle again and pull Spencer to sit up, “I think you’re cool whether you tackle unsubs or not.”

Spencer is finally catching his breath and he squints at you due to the sun beaming down at the both of you, “Tha-Thanks,” he clears his throat and stands up, you following him, “We have about another thirty minutes to finish the trail.”

You look at him confused, “It usually takes me ten to get through the rest of the trail.”

“Yeah, well, I may end up with a collapsed lung soon so you’ll probably have to carry me the rest of the way, hindering your usual time.” 

You roll your eyes and stretch your leg and arms, “Has anyone ever told you that you’re incredibly dramatic?”

He smiles at you and says, “Just you.”

Riiing! Riiing!

“Saved by the bell!” you exclaim as Spencer answers his phone.

“Hello? Yeah, I’ll-I’ll be there in like forty minutes. I’m on a run….I run sometimes!” he then ends the call and huffs, “Let’s get this done and over with.” he gets a head start and you’re following him with a snort.

“Hey, so…when you’re out there, just- uh … try not to die. I’m really not bothered to replace you.”

“I’ll try not to,” he says reassuringly and you both continue down the trail back to your car.

__________

Speedy: I’m definitely going to miss your marathon. I’m so sorry!

Bubs: it’s ok, speedy. i get it. go be a hero! go save those people. go hunt those things! you do the family business! 

Speedy: …did you just quote Supernatural?

Bubs: YOU FINALLY STARTED WATCHING IT! YEEEES!

Bubs: Seriously tho, it’s okay that you can’t come. I get it.

Speedy: I really wanted to be there to cheer you on.

Bubs: I know. Next time. :)

“Reid.” Spencer looked up when he heard his name again and saw everyone in the plane was looking his way.

He gulped and pocketed his phone, “Sorry. Just had to tell Y/N I’ll be missing her first marathon. Anyway, what were you saying?”

_________

Bubs sent an image: [image description: a selfie of you holding up marathon medal]

Bubs: I DID IT! NOW TIME FOR ME TO SLEEP FOR THE REST OF THE DAY. I’M EXHAUSTED.

Speedy: I’M SO PROUD OF YOU! WE CAN CELEBRATE WHEN I GET BACK! I’LL BRING THE TEAM ALONG WITH ME!

Bubs: YAY FRIENDS!


	9. “You’re leaving already? Nooooo.”

“I feel so terrible,” you groan when Spencer answers the phone, “I thought this was just gonna go away over night but it didn’t and I feel wooooorse!” you whine and you hear Spencer chuckle, “DO YOU FIND MY SUFFERING AMUSING TO YOU, DOCTOR SPENCER REID?!”

“No, not at all. I just…I find your whining a little cute.” when he says this, he imagines he probably has the goofiest expression on his face right now.

“I AM NOT CUTE, SPENCER. I AM SUFFERING!” you yell through the phone and proceed to cough after your outburst, “My throat hurts, my body feels heavy, I feel hot and cold at the same time, I’m pretty sure I have a fever. What’s my diagnosis, Doc?”

Spencer smiles as he leans back in his chair at his desk in the bullpen, “I’m not that kind of doctor and you know this, Y/N. Anyway, it’s just the common cold. If you drink some tea and take antibiotics for the next few days, you should be fine. You’re not dying.”

“How do you know that?” you ask through your stuffy nose.

“I’m a doctor and I know everything!”

“You just said you’re not that kind of doctor! Make up your mind, Reid!” you hear him laughing and you yell again, “STOP LAUGHING AT MY SUFFERING.”

“I’m sorry, bubs. And you call me dramatic.” 

“You are,” you mumble, “I don’t have any tea or soup. I should probably go out and get some.”

“No, no. Don’t you dare go out. I’ll come by after work and bring some stuff to you.”

“Spence, no. You’re on crutches. You should be staying off your feet.”

He smirks into his phone, “Well you can’t stop me, can you?”

“…You’re such a little shit. Fine. Don’t complain about your leg hurting when you have to climb the stairs to get to me.”

“The elevator isn’t working?”

“Maintenance.”

“Oh.”

“Change your mind?”

“Not a chance.” he looks up to see everyone start heading to the round table room and he struggles to get onto his feet, “Listen, I gotta go. But I’ll see you tonight. Okay, bubs?”

“Okay, bye.”

“Bye.”

_____________

Due to Spencer’s injury, he was ordered to stay back with Penelope while the rest of the team go out to work on cases. He was a little bummed out, but he was still happy that Hotch was allowing him to continue to work instead of staying at home. 

After another work day ends, Spencer immediately makes his way to the nearest store grabbing you some cough medicine, tea, orange juice, and soup. With the crutches, he struggled a bit to bring them over to your place, but he ended up getting to the third floor. 

When he got to your door, he knocked a few times, listening to see if you were coming. You were probably knocked out, so he took out your spare key and let himself in.

“Y/N?” he softly called for your name.

He hobbled his way further into your apartment, finding you fast asleep on your couch with a bunch of discarded tissues surrounding you. 

He set his things on the coffee table and bent down, feeling your head with the back of his hand. You were definitely feverish. 

As you slept, Spencer went to work. He got a damp towel, placing it on your head to try to lower your temperature. He made you a cup of tea as well as set down a cup of ice water and orange juice. You’d choose whichever for your liking. 

Then he went to your kitchen to make you that soup. It was nearly finished when you stirred awake. You groaned, rubbing the sleep from your eyes and curiously feeling the towel on your head.

“What the-” you heard some noise from your kitchen and called out in a weak voice, “Spencer?”

“Yeah, it’s me!” he ladled out some soup into a bowl and limped his way over to you, “Good ol’ classic chicken soup.” you sat up, taking the bowl, taking careful sips.

“Thanks,” you croaked out, “You really shouldn’t have done this,” you say as Spencer takes a seat on your couch.

“You’re my best friend, bubs. It’s my job to take care of you.”

“I’d hug you, but since I’m sick, that’s probably not a good idea.”

“Yeah, probably.” he then grunts as he stands, “I should head out now.”

“You’re leaving already? Nooooo.” you whined, reaching over and grabbing onto his wrist, “Can you stay a little bit longer?” you look up at him, giving him pouty lips.

He sighs and sitting back down, “How about this: finish that soup and your tea, and I’ll stay until you fall back asleep.”

“Okay,” you give him a tired smile before settling back onto the couch and continuing your soup.

It’s 10pm, an hour after you woke up, and you’re back asleep. So Spencer cleans up and gathers his things. When everything is back to how it was, he leans down, running a gentle finger along your cheek.

“Goodnight, bubs,” he cautiously presses a kiss to your hairline and exits your place, to go back to his.


	10. “[insert very specific insult]” - this is in the form of teasing each other about specific things so..  “

"Y/N! My sweet apple pie dumpling!” Penelope squeals when you and Spencer enter the bar. She hugs you tight and you hug her back with a giggle, “It’s so good to see you!” she then slaps Spencer’s arm, “How dare you keep her away from us for so long!”

He then rubs his arm where she hit him and pouted, “Hey, it’s not my fault! She’s been busy!”

You pull away from Penelope with a nod, “Yeah, after quitting my journalist job, I’ve spent these past two years just getting my vintage shop up and running. With the help of Speedy here,” you nudged your best friend, “I’ve been getting a lot more people selling and donating some really cool antique vintage stuff for my inventory!”

“Aw that’s so cool! I’m so happy for you!” she pinched your cheeks and then took your hand, “C’mon, everyone else is waiting for you!” she dragged you through the small crowd of people, leaving Spencer behind. 

“The famous Y/N is here!” Derek exclaims with a drink in hand, “Nice to see you, angel,” he leans in, hugging you with his big arms.

You make your rounds saying hello and hugging the team. Spencer finally appeared with a drink for you and himself. You happily accepted it with a smile, “Thanks, Speedy!”

“You’re welcome, bubs,” he replies with a shy smile and everyone on the team just give each other a look, a look that Spencer catches, thus clearing his throat, “So, does anyone have any interesting plans this weekend?”

___________

The night goes on and everyone is a little bit more loose and giggly, you included. 

“A-And he fell and a box of books fell on him a-a-and he-hehehehe-he grumbled ‘And people say books can’t hurt anyone’!” Everyone laughed at Spencer’s expense and he just rolled his eyes at you. 

“At least I didn’t trip on nothing because I got distracted by a dog,” he murmured into his drink and you gasped.

“It was a corgi wearing a sweater! Of course I got distracted!”

Penelope coos, “Aaaawww I love corgis! They’re so cute!”

“Right?! And cute dogs in cute sweaters? Literally the best thing ever! Anyway, at least I don’t claim to be the God of Poker and then lose to Emily!”

“Oooohhhh!” the team all said in unison and Spencer chuckled, “One time. I lost one time! I’ve beaten everyone more than anything!”

“Mhm…but you still lost, Speedy,” you murmured to him with a smirk and then went to go sip your drink.“Y/N! My sweet apple pie dumpling!” Penelope squeals when you and Spencer enter the bar. She hugs you tight and you hug her back with a giggle, “It’s so good to see you!” she then slaps Spencer’s arm, “How dare you keep her away from us for so long!”

He then rubs his arm where she hit him and pouted, “Hey, it’s not my fault! She’s been busy!”

You pull away from Penelope with a nod, “Yeah, after quitting my journalist job, I’ve spent these past two years just getting my vintage shop up and running. With the help of Speedy here,” you nudged your best friend, “I’ve been getting a lot more people selling and donating some really cool antique vintage stuff for my inventory!”

“Aw that’s so cool! I’m so happy for you!” she pinched your cheeks and then took your hand, “C’mon, everyone else is waiting for you!” she dragged you through the small crowd of people, leaving Spencer behind. 

“The famous Y/N is here!” Derek exclaims with a drink in hand, “Nice to see you, angel,” he leans in, hugging you with his big arms.

You make your rounds saying hello and hugging the team. Spencer finally appeared with a drink for you and himself. You happily accepted it with a smile, “Thanks, Speedy!”

“You’re welcome, bubs,” he replies with a shy smile and everyone on the team just give each other a look, a look that Spencer catches, thus clearing his throat, “So, does anyone have any interesting plans this weekend?”

___________

The night goes on and everyone is a little bit more loose and giggly, you included. 

“A-And he fell and a box of books fell on him a-a-and he-hehehehe-he grumbled ‘And people say books can’t hurt anyone’!” Everyone laughed at Spencer’s expense and he just rolled his eyes at you. 

“At least I didn’t trip on nothing because I got distracted by a dog,” he murmured into his drink and you gasped.

“It was a corgi wearing a sweater! Of course I got distracted!”

Penelope coos, “Aaaawww I love corgis! They’re so cute!”

“Right?! And cute dogs in cute sweaters? Literally the best thing ever! Anyway, at least I don’t claim to be the God of Poker and then lose to Emily!”

“Oooohhhh!” the team all said in unison and Spencer chuckled, “One time. I lost one time! I’ve beaten everyone more than anything!”

“Mhm…but you still lost, Speedy,” you murmured to him with a smirk and then went to go sip your drink.


	11. “Well maybe I like having you alive, ever thought about that?”

You can tell he’s been different. He’s been your friend for a few years now and you can tell there’s something wrong. You didn’t want to push him, but it’s been weeks and you can’t stand to see him be like this anymore. 

“What’s going on, Spencer?”

“What do you mean?” he asks while not looking up from his book.

You sigh, taking the book from his hands and setting it onto his coffee table, “Something’s different about you. I don’t know what, but I’m worried about you.”

“There’s nothing wrong with me, Y/N.”

“Please, don’t like to me, Spence. You can lie to everyone else, but not me. So please, tell me what’s wrong.” you look at him with pleading eyes and Spence could see how much he’s hurting you…but he still can’t bring himself to tell you the truth.

He stands up, “There’s nothing wrong, Y/N, but if you continue to badger me on this, I’m going to ask you to leave.”

You stand up with teary eyes and mumble, “Fine,” you back up, tripping over Spencer’s satchel, causing some contents to fall out. 

You see a small vial and pick it up. Your eyes widen when you read the label, “Is this why?” you turn around holding it up to him and you see his jaw clench, “Spencer-”

“I have everything under control, Y/N,” he goes to reach for it but you pull back.

“Clearly, you don’t!”

“Why does it matter?! Why do you care so much about this?!”

You scoff, “Well maybe I like having you alive, ever thought about that?”

It was Spencer’s turn to scoff, “I said I have it under control. I won’t OD from it.”

“You don’t know that, Spencer,” you shake your head and pocket the vial, “You need to get help! Please,” you plead to him, tears trekking down your face, “I just want my best friend to be okay.” you sniffle, wiping your eyes and heading out. 

_______________

Speedy: I’m going to my first meeting. I dumped all of my supply. 

Speedy: I’m sorry.

Bubs: I know. I’m glad you’re finally getting help. Is there anything I can do?

Speedy: Just knowing that you’re there for me, helps. 

Bubs: I’ll always be there for you, Speedy.

Speedy: I know, bubs. Thank you.

…I love you.


	12. “You’re the only one I really want to be there”

“Guess what? Guess what? Guess whaaaat?!” you’re bouncing when you answer your door to see Spencer standing there.

He chuckles, “What?” he follows you into your apartment.

“I finally got a place!”

“Really?!”

“Yup! Books and Bricks Vintage Shop will be a reality soon! Maybe a few months for renovations and bringing in the inventory, it’ll be up!”

Spencer wraps his arms around you for a tight hug, “I’m so happy for you, bubs! That’s so exciting! Are you gonna be inviting your parents for the opening?”

You solemnly shake your head, “Probably not. Ever since I quit journalism, they call me a disappointment. You know that stupid shit. Anyway, you’re the only one I really want to be there.”

Spencer smiles shyly and tucks a strand of hair behind his ear, “Really?”

“Of course! You’re my best friend, Spencer!”

“I guess I’ll see you there then,” he grins your way and you feel your heart flutter.

___________

You lead Spencer through the doors with his eyes closed, “Okay, just a few more steps alright? Just a few moooore and-okay! Stay right there!” you move back and Spencer scrunches his face open.

“Now?”

“Yeah, now!”

His eyes shoot open and he gets a look around the store. It’s not too big or not too small. There’s brick walls and wood, soft lighting, and a warm, homey feeling to it.

“Y/N, this is…wow. This is amazing.”

You’re bouncing in place, “Right?! Oh, Spence, I’m so excited! Eventually, I think I wanna build a little cafe area, ya know, a intimate hang out spot?”

“That’s a great idea! I can come by before work for coffee. I’m really proud of you, Y/N.”

“Aaaaww thanks, Speedy!” you lean in pecking his cheek go to bring out more inventory, leaving Spencer completely speechless.


	13. “You’re my everything”

“Jay? What’s up?” you answer your phone a little late in the night and you knew that her and the team were on a case in Texas.

You hear her let out a shaky breath and you knew something happened, “What happened? Is he okay?”

“He…He got hit in the neck. He’s in surgery right now. Y/N-”

“I’m going over there.”

“Y/N, no. He’ll be okay. I just wanted to let you know since he may not be coming home for a day or two. Penelope will be staying over to watch him, okay? I’ll give you any updates and let you know when you can speak to him. Everything will be okay.”

You let out a small sob as you cry, “Why is it always him, JJ? He doesn’t deserve this or any of that bad shit that’s happened to him. I just-I hate how it always seems to be him.”

“I know, honey. Oh, hold on.” you hear murmuring coming from her end and then she comes back to the phone, “Spence just got out of surgery. He’s completely okay. We’re gonna see him and I’ll probably call you back in a bit, okay?”

“Okay,” you murmured, “Thank you, JJ.”

“Of course, Y/N.”

________________

You couldn’t sleep at all that night. You stayed up, waiting for JJ’s call. You drank cup after cup of coffee to ensure you wouldn’t fall asleep and miss the call. It wasn’t until it was nearly 7am that you were getting a call from Penelope.

After the first ring, you answered it anxiously, “Hello? Penny?”

“Y/N,” rasped a voice.

“Spencer,” you let out a breath of relief, “It’s good to hear your voice. JJ called me last night and I said she was going to call me back letting me know when I could talk to you. But she didn’t call so I stayed up all night to make sure I don’t miss your call and-”

“How much coffee did you have to drink?” you can hear the smile in his voice and you relaxed, a soft grin on yours, “Like five cups.” you heard him hum and you rolled your eyes, “Don’t even judge! I know for a fact you drink a lot more than me even when you’re not stressed.”

“True….I’m okay, you know.” 

“I know, Spence. I just hate that you keep getting hurt. Out of everyone in the team, it always seems to be you.”

“It’s part of my job, Y/N.”

“I know,” you paused and let out a deep breath, “You’re my everything, Spencer. I really hate the idea of losing you some day.”

You hear a rustling on his end of the call and he let out a grunt, “Are you okay?” you asked with concern.

“Yeah, just trying to get comfortable. Anyway, you know I’m always going to do my best to come home to you, right?”

“I know. I know. It doesn’t stop me from worrying about you though.”

“I know. Oh, my breakfast is here,” you hear him giggle and you smile, “They gave me a second jello cup.”

You chuckle, “You and your jello.”

“I love jello!” you both giggle with each other, eventually fading into a comfortable silence that Spencer breaks, “I’ll let you get your sleep, bubs.”

“Okay. I’ll call you when I wake up later, alright?” you lay back down on your bed, pulling up the covers.

“Okay. Sweet dreams.” You don’t end the call, instead knocking out in an instant and Spencer remains on the line for a little bit longer just to hear your soft snores.


	14. “I’d rather be hurt and be with you than be okay without you”

Spencer is pacing in the waiting room while Derek sits in a chair, watching the young doctor worry. 

“Kid, she’ll be-”

“Don’t, Morgan. I don’t want your encouraging words right now. No matter what you say, I’ll still believe that this is my fault. I didn’t see him in time and that resulted in Y/N getting shot. She wouldn’t be in clinging onto her life if I just saw him seconds before.”

Derek sighs, grunts as he stands up and walks over to Spencer, clasping his shoulder, “Reid, no one could’ve known some random guy would shoot up that diner. Not even you. None of this is your fault.”

“I’m usually very observant and I-I wasn’t. I was too distracted by Y/N’s laugh and-and I don’t know if I’ll ever get to hear it again,” he breaks down, leaning forward and resting his head onto Derek’s shoulder as he sobs. 

Derek wraps his arm around the younger agent, heartbreaking for his friend he saw as a younger brother, “Y/N’s tough, man. She’ll make it through. You’ll see. She’ll fight and tooth and nail to live ‘cause she knows she can’t leave you behind.”

___________________

Your body feels heavy. You hear a muted beeping noise and the more you try to open your eyes, the louder it gets. Ugh. Why is it so bright?

“Y/N?” you hear a voice, a male voice.

“S-Spe-Spence?” you try to voice out, but it’s coming out low and mumbled.

“I’m here, Y/N. I’m right here. It’s okay.” you feel a hand tighten around yours. He’s holding your hand. 

What feels like hours, your eyes finally flutter open. Your vision is a little blurry, so you rub at them. Your eyes focusing to the sight in front of you. You’re in the hospital and Spencer is by your side.

You smack your lips together, not liking the feeling of them being chapped and your mouth dry. You see Spencer grab a cup of water with a straw sticking out. He holds it out to you and you sip from it, finding comfort in the cool liquid rushing down your throat. 

You try to sit up more, but wince when you feel the pain. You look down and under the hospital gown to see gauze taped to your chest. Your brows furrow in confusion and you’re relayed back to when you were in the diner with Spencer. 

One moment, you were laughing at something he was saying and the next, gunshots rang out and you were on the ground in immeasurable pain. 

“I got shot,” you murmured plainly. 

You then looked up at Spencer again and realized his face was covered in bruises and cuts, “Are you okay?” you reach out for him, but wince again in pain. 

He moves closer to you so you can cup his face, “What do you remember?”

“You were telling me that chemistry joke. I was laughing at how dumb it was, then I heard the gunshots. Then I was on the floor and-and you were holding me. I don’t remember anything after that.”

Spencer sighed, grabbing your hands into his, “After you got shot, a nurse swept in to help with the bleeding. I went to talk to the shooter, negotiate with him. An off duty cop surprised attacked him and got the gun away. The shooter managed to throw the cop off and he and I wrestled for the gun. That’s how I got these injuries. Got a few punches in before the cashier handed her gun to the cop. I rode in the ambulance with you here. That was two days ago.”

“Two days? Shit. Did you get looked at?”

Spencer softly smiled at your concern. Even when you’re more injured than he is, you still worry about him. He shook his head, “No. I didn’t want to miss anything.”

“Spencer-”

“Y/N, I’d rather be hurt and be with you than be okay without you. I’m fine. I promise. This isn’t the worse thing that I’ve gotten.”

You scowled, “Don’t remind me,” and you sighed, “I’m okay now, Spencer. We’re okay.”

He shook his heads, eyes starting to well up, “If I’d just-”

“Don’t even go there, Spencer Reid. You couldn’t have known about the shooter. It was a case of wrong place, wrong time. Tell me this, is the shooter alive?”

“No. Once he tried to attack the cop, he got shot down. I’m supposed to protect people, Y/N. Protect you. How can I do that when I can’t even protect m own, best friend?”

“I’m alive, Spencer. The shooter isn’t. You helped in taking him down and now he won’t be able to hurt anymore people. You still saved lives, Spence. Now come up here.” you scoot over and pat the empty side of the bed.

“I don’t-”

“You won’t hurt me.”

Spencer purses his lips and stands up, gets into the bed beside you. You lean your head on his shoulder and he rests his head on yours. You two remain there in silent until you speak up again.

“So, you wrestled with a shooter. Sounds badass.”

He lightly chuckles, “Yeah. You would’ve been proud.”

“I’m always proud of you, Speedy.”

“I know.” a silence lulls over the both of you again and, for whatever reason, Spencer finds some courage, “Hey, bubs?” instead of a response, he hears your soft snores.


	15. “I think in every reality, I still find you”

You and Spencer are at the local park, laying on a picnic blanket. The sandwiches and fruit you packed now all nibbled down to just crumbs. Spencer is making his way through a book while you’re staring up at the blue sky, watching white fluffy clouds pass by.

“Hey, Speedy?”

“Hm?”

“Remember that case you worked on a few months ago, the one about the guy who kept kidnapping women, convinced they were his first love reincarnated?”

Spencer sets his book down and sits up with intrigue, “Yeah, what about it?”

You sit up and turn to face him, “Do you believe in reincarnation? Multiple realities?”

“The idea of reincarnation dates back to philosophical traditions of India and Greece from about the 6th century BC. It’s the idea that when we die, our soul or spirit moves onto another form of life whether it’s human, an animal, or a plant-”

“Spencer,” you giggle, interrupting your friend’s informational ramble, “I know what reincarnation. I asked if you believed in it.”

He shrugs, “Not really. As for multiple realities that idea refers to Alfred Schütz’s views that we’re confronting different types of realities at the same time, not just the one.”

“Spencer,” you look at him with a soft gaze, “That’s not what I asked.”

“Maybe.” he answers, “Why?”

You shrugged, turning and laying back on the blanket, “I was just thinking about if you and I get reincarnated, would we be friends? I hope we’re still friends in another life.”

“I think in every reality, I still find you,” Spencer states, “Your presence is so eccentric and phenomenal that it deserves to live on.”

You snorted and gave him a nudge, “Thanks, Speedy. Maybe in the next life, I’d be a dog and you’d be a cat and we’d be that weird duo that no one understands.”

“Why’re you the dog?” he asks with a pout.

And you send him a smirk, “’Cause I’m a ray of sunshine and you’re a little shit.”

“That’s fair,” he responds as you laugh, laying back down and closing his eyes, relishing in the warmth encompassing him. Only, he doesn’t know if it’s from the sun or the warm feeling he gets when he listens to you laugh.


	16. “I want to make something for you”

“Okay, so I think I have everyone counted for!” you look up from your list to Spencer with a smile, “I officially have my Christmas shopping done! Well….kinda.”

“Kinda?” Spencer asks, giving you a curious gaze, his hands filled with some of your shopping bags.

“I haven’t gotten you anything yet.”

He shrugs, “I tell you this every year, Bubs, you don’t have to get me anything.” he gives you a reassuring smile and you roll your eyes.

“And I keep telling you, Speedy, that you’re my best friend and you deserve nice things. But this year I want to make something for you.”

Spencer nods in understanding, “Why the sudden change?”

You shrugged, “I dunno. Thought that my best friend deserves something made from the heart for once?” you chuckled, “To be honest, I didn’t know what to get you this year. Yeah, you say you don’t want or need anything, but still. Also, I can’t promise you that it won’t be disastrous. Just know that I tried because I lo-” you stop, catching yourself, “Because I care about you.”

You’re sure Spencer caught your slip up, but he doesn’t make any reaction to it. He just chuckles and shakes his head, “Whatever you make, I’m sure I’ll love, Y/N.”

_________________

This was turning out super shitty but you were determined. You even called upon Penelope to help you out. And once she started teaching you the proper way on how to crochet, you started getting the hang of it. It was rough at first, but you were very proud of the end result. 

Now, your masterpiece lays in a box that was wrapped with as much love and care as you put into it. You’re at Rossi’s, having been invited to his Christmas party, accompanying Spencer. 

You were all surrounded by wrapping paper and decorative tissue, appreciating the gifts you all receive. 

“Okay, Speedy. Here it is!” you place the box on Spencer’s lap and you can already see the excitement on his face. 

Unlike with the other gifts he received, Spencer was very careful about unwrapping your gift, not wanting to ruin the hard work you put into it. Which caused you burst into a laugh, “C’mon! Your nickname isn’t Speedy Reidy for nothing! The wrapping is just gonna go to the trash.”

“Fine. Okay!” he quickly tears off the rest of it and opens the box.

“Oh wow!” you see the genuine delight on his face. It’s a maroon knitted scarf that he promptly wraps around his neck, “You seriously made this?” he examines the pattern and despite seeing little flaws here and there he still believes this was one of the best presents he’s received.

“It was rough in the beginning, but Penny helped me out and I got it down! I’m really proud of it.”

“You should be, Bubs. This is great. Thank you!” he leans over and giving you a hug. He then pulls your present from his pocket. It’s a small little box with a bow, “Here.”

You accept the box, lifting the lid and feeling your heart soar, “Spencer,” you pull out a necklace with a small dainty charm of a bubbles container, “This is super cute!” you take the necklace out and hold it out to him, “Help me put it on?”

“S-Sure,” he clears his throat and takes the necklace. He watches as you turn around and he winds his arms around you. His hands meet at the base of the back of your neck, he struggles with the clasp a couple of times before finally getting it. 

You turn back to him with a big smile on your face, “Well? How does it look?”

“Beautiful,” he murmurs. You two just stare at each other, completely oblivious to the other people around you. You feel yourself being pulled towards Spencer and-

“Here ya go, cuties! Wine all around!” A tipsy Penelope pushes her way in between you two, handing you each a glass of wine. 

“Thanks, Penelope,” Spencer gives his friend a tight smile and scoots some distance away from you. 

Well…that wasn’t awkward at all.


	17. “There are people who love you, you know”

You knew that Spencer was dating someone. When he told you, your heart broke a bit, but also it wasn’t fair for you to be upset. He didn’t know about your feelings for him. You hadn’t told him. Even if he did know, he wasn’t obligated to stay single until he realized his feelings for you. 

You’re Spencer’s friend first, so when he confessed about his secret girlfriend, you simply gave him a small smile and expressed your joy for him. You accepted that the time you usually spend together would now dwindle so he can spend time with his girlfriend, Maeve. 

“I’m glad to see you so happy, Spencer. You deserve it.”

The ten months they were together, you wished you could be the one to make Spencer all soft and gushy. You wish you were Spencer’s girlfriend instead of Maeve…but not like this. 

You didn’t know the full context of their relationship besides that things were complicated and that Spencer can’t say much about the situation, because it wasn’t his to tell. 

Respecting his and Maeve’s decision, you didn’t ask or ponder about why they can’t physically be together. 

You came to know everything after Spencer hasn’t spoken to you for days, your calls going to voicemail every single time. You eventually called up JJ and she told you everything. 

Poor Spencer. Poor Maeve. They didn’t deserve any of this. Yeah, your heart was torn because Spencer would never have feelings for you, but that doesn’t mean you relish in his pain. 

You decided to go to Spencer’s apartment to see if he wanted to talk. You doubt it, but it doesn’t hurt to try. 

When you get there, you see gift baskets lined up in front of his door. That gives you an idea that he hasn’t gone out at all. 

You knock on the door and lean forward, speaking up and hoping that Spencer could hear you, “Hey, Spencer. Um, I know what happened. I-I talked to JJ because I was worried about you since you weren’t answering your phone and-don’t be mad at her if she wasn’t supposed to tell me.”

You sigh, not really knowing what else to do or say, “I’m sure you feel alone, hurt, heartbroken, and angry. I just-you’re not alone, Spencer. There are people who love you, you know. People who just wanna make sure you’re okay. Whenever you’re ready, talk to someone. Whether it’s me or JJ or Derek. Anyone.”

You look down at your shoes and run a hand down your face, “I guess I’ll see you whenever you’re ready.”

_______________

Spencer heard it all before from everyone else before you. 

“Talk to someone. People care about you. Blah blah blah.” 

It frustrated him. 

The first person that he grew to love since getting over you is now gone. And he doesn’t know what to do. While you’re his best friend and he did love you romantically at one point, Maeve understood him on another level. Now she’s gone and all Spencer feels is empty. 

He does feel a bit bad for not speaking to you or anybody else since Maeve’s death, but he’s grieving. What else is he to do?

Then Derek called about needing help on the case they’re on and Spencer decided enough was enough. He put his A-game on, helped with the case, eventually getting back to work. 

He also called you back. 

“Spencer?” you asked curiously, a bit surprised to hear from him. 

“Hey, yeah. It’s-It’s me,” his voice a little shy and hesitant.

You wanted to ask him if he’s okay, but you’re sure you know the answer. So you decided to play everything off, “What’s up?”

“Just..Just wanted to hear your voice.”

“Oh. Okay, well, you wanna hear about the horrendous couple I had to deal with a few days ago?”

He chuckled and replied, “Sure, Bubs.”

And just from that, you knew Spencer will be okay. It’ll take some time, but he’ll be okay. And that’s all you ever want for him.


	18. “Dedicated to [character name]”

You sat in your car blindfolded in the passenger seat while Spencer drove you to some unknown location for your birthday. You’re sure that it’s been about twenty minutes that passed since you got into the car and Spencer had you blindfolded. 

Your legs were bouncing in anticipation. Spencer noticed this and reached over, placing a hand on your leg, “We’re almost there, Bubs.”

“You’re not gonna kill me, right? ‘Cause I’m one hundred percent sure you of all people would be capable of killing someone and hiding the body and getting away with it.”

You hear Spencer snort, “No, Y/N, I’m not going to kill you. That’d be a really sad way to celebrate your birthday.”

You shrugged, “I’m sure it’s happened.” and you hear Spencer hum in agreement. 

Eventually you feel the car slow to a stop and hear Spencer put the car in park, “We’re hear!” 

He rushes out from the driver’s seat and heads to your side, helping you out of the car. He slips his hand into yours and guides you to wherever he’s taken you. 

“Okay. Just a little bit more, okay?”

“Spence! Come on!” you exclaim with excitement.

“Okay! On three.” you hear him behind you now and you feel him untying the blindfold, “One…two…three!”

You opened your eyes and-

“SURPRISE!”

You yelp in astonishment when you see your loved ones surrounding you at some dining hall.

“Oh my-mom?! Dad?!” run to hug your parents who you haven’t seen in a while. After greeting them, you turned to Spencer who stood there looking all shy with his hands in his pockets.

“Spencer Reid, you are the best!” you wrap your arms around him even though you know he has a thing about germs. 

He pulls his hands out of his pockets and hugs you back, “Happy birthday, Bubs.”

“Happy birthday to yooouuuu,” everyone starts to sing and you let go of Spencer to see Penelope and Emily wheeling a three tiered cake your way.

_______________

It was past midnight and you were helping clean up the hall even though everyone protested you to do so. 

Once the place was cleaned up and free of garbage and leftover cake, you and Spencer piled your birthday presents into your car, but before you got in, he stopped you. 

“I wanted to give you your present at the end of the night.” he pulls out a book wrapped in ribbon from his satchel.

You undo the ribbon, letting it fall and open the unmarked book. On the first page, it reads “Dedicated to Y/N. Happy birthday, Bubs. -Spencer”

You flip through it and realize that it’s a collection of poems, but they don’t seem familiar to you, “Spence, did you write these yourself?”

“Yeah. I did. Each one is inspired by your favorite poems.”

“Spencer Reid,” you look up from the book to the man before you, “You’re seriously the sweetest man and best friend anyone could ask for.” Again, you wrap your arms around him in a tight hug and he hugs you back, hoping you’ll realize exactly the words he’s written down mean.


	19. “I did this for you”

You’re closing up the shop for the night when you start receiving a call from JJ. As you lock up your door, you answer the phone, keeping it in between your cheek and shoulder, “Hey, Jay! What’s up?”

“So, we just landed and Spence isn’t doing good.”

When you finish locking up, you hold the phone with your hand, brows furrowed with concern, “What happened? Is he okay?”

“He’s fine,” she reassures, “He-Well, he was talking down an unsub from killing himself and…it didn’t end well.”

“Oh no.”

“Yeah, so, just giving you a heads up. He’s probably going to need you right now.”

“Okay. Thanks for letting me know, JJ. I’ll talk to you soon. Bye.”

You sigh, shaking your head. Instant worry filling your body for your best friend, and the one who held your heart. You were planning on going home to soak in a nice bubble bath, but your best friend needs you more. So instead of heading over to your place, you first head to the store to get some things. 

___________

Spencer trudges up the stairs to his apartment. His mind replaying the unsub’s death over and over again. No matter how many times his teammates said they didn’t blame him, he continued to replay it in his head. His fault. His fault. His fault. 

Spencer entered his apartment and immediately froze. In his living room, Christmas lights were strung up on his walls and bookshelves. A blanket fort was made out of his couch and chairs. He smelled popcorn and chocolate wafting through the air. 

“Oh fudgenutter baskets!” he heard you cry out and moved to the kitchen to see you running your hand under sink water. You look up when you see movement in your peripherals, “Speedy! Hi!” you wipe your hands after the burning sensation cools down. 

Spencer sets his satchel on the counter with a confused look, “Uh, hi. Not that I’m happy to see you, but why did you break into my apartment?”

You rolled your eyes with a playful grin, “It’s not breaking in if you have a key.”

“Okay, why are you trespassing?” you gave him a playful nudge, and watched as the corners of his lips twitched up into a shy smile. 

“I wanted to see you. Hang out. Thought we’d have a movie ni-”

“JJ tell you?”

“-Yup,” you nod in confirmation, not bothering to hold up the lie, “She thought you might need a pick me up.” 

He nods in understanding, now looking down at his feet in shame. You move closer to him, lifting his chin up, “Hey, it’s okay. Don’t think about that right now. Think about how we’re about to chow down on my baked mac and cheese along with some cookies and popcorn and watch Star Trek!”

Spencer gives you a soft smile again as he states, “I haven’t had your mac and cheese in a while.”

“And that’s exactly why I made it!” You quickly plate the cookies, grab the popcorn and grab the pyrex that holds your mac and cheese. You and Spencer carefully climb into the pillow fort you made and you turned on your laptop. 

Spencer looks around in awe, “You really did this for me?”

“Of course, I did this for you. I’d be a terrible person if I let my best friend sulk for the rest of the day.”

“I don’t sulk…”

You snorted as you scooped a spoonful of mac and cheese into your mouth, “Yes, you do.” Before Spencer takes a bite, you stop him, “WAIT!” you then move to your bag and pull out a bottle of lactaid pills for him, “Take this before you indulge yourself.”

Spencer rolls his eyes as he sets his spoon down and goes to take a few pills. For the rest of the night, you two curl up in the fortress, watching Star Trek and stuff your face with food. There’s still a tinge of self-loathing in the back of Spencer’s mind, but it’s currently being drowned out by the happiness and content he feels now that you’re beside him. 

What would he do without you?


	20. “I would give all of this up for you”

You looked completely unamused as Spencer pushed you out of the hospital and towards your car in a wheelchair. When you stood, a nurse took the chair and Spencer helped you into your car.

When he took the driver’s seat and buckled up, you quipped, “I definitely could’ve walked you know.”

“I didn’t want you to strain yourself, bubs.”

“Spencer, I got hit in the shoulder. I could walk fine,” you say with a roll of your eyes, but a playful grin. You weren’t annoyed with him, not really. Just a little peeved with how he’s treating you like you’re fragile.

“‘M sorry,” he mumbled and started the car, driving away to the hospital and towards your apartment. 

“No, no. I’m sorry. I’m just being stubborn. I’m-I just don’t like appearing weak.”

He hummed, “I know. And I just don’t like seeing you hurt.”

You snorted, “I share the same sentiment.”

At a stop light, Spencer sighs and turns to you, “I would give all of this up for you, if you asked. 

You shook your head, “I’d never ask that of you, Spencer. I know how much this job means to you, how much the team means to you. Yeah, you’re my best friend and I do hate you always being in danger, but I get it. You potentially getting hurt is what comes with the job and me worrying about you getting hurt comes with me being your friend. Sure, you’d give all of this up for me if I’d ask, but I never will. The good of the country needs Spencer Reid.” You pat his leg and turn to face ahead again. 

_______

“I don’t wannaaaa,” you whine, trying to avoid Spencer forcing a pill into your mouth, “It makes me sleepy!”

“Bubs, come on, please? It’s so that your wound doesn’t get infected.” 

Hotch allowed Spencer some time off so he could watch over you and help you heal. Spencer, being the good best friend he is, wanted to ensure that you wouldn’t feel any pain or that your gunshot wound wouldn’t get infected. 

“Spencer, it’s fine! I clean it every day, change the bandages. I don’t need the pill! I hate that it makes me sleepy and I end up sleeping the day away. I don’t get anything done! Pleeeeaaaase, don’t make me take it.” you’re looking at him with pouty lips and puppy dog eyes. 

After hearing your plea and looking into your adorable eyes, Spencer sighs, dropping the pill back into it’s bottle, “Fine.”

“Thank God!” you slump against your couch and Spencer plops beside you with a snicker, “You’re such a child,” he says, which makes you stick out your tongue at him. 

You then lean over, resting your head on his shoulder, “I know you’re worried about me, and you think that me getting hurt is your fault, and it’s not. But I’m here, Spencer. I’m safe. You got the guy. I’m right here, Speedy.” you rest your hand over his and he leans his head on yours, “I know.”


	21. “Stop worrying about you? Stop worrying about you?! I can barely stop thinking of you!”

First it was Hotch. Then it was Tara. Who else was Mr. Scratch going to mess with? After Tara brought the case to the team, everyone worked on calling up their loved ones. JJ had her family taken to a safe house. As did Rossi with his family. Spencer immediately called you, but you weren’t answering, which caused him a lot of distress. 

“Hey, Y/N’s not answering her phone. I’m gonna-”

“Go on,” Rossi said, patting the good doctor’s arm, “Go check on your girl.”

“She’s not my girl,” he murmured to himself before grabbing his satchel and high tailing it to your shop. 

When he entered, there wasn’t anyone at the front counter. His anxiety peaking, “Y/N?!” he called out your name frantically and you came rushing out from the back, “Spencer? What is it? What’s wrong?” you asked running over to him.

He let out a deep breath and pulled you into his arms, “You weren’t answering your phone. I thought-I thought something happened to you.”

“Oh. I’m sorry. I was playing music while doing inventory. What’s going on?”

He takes your hand into his and starts tugging you towards the door, “We need to leave. Now.”

“What? Spencer! Wait!” you tugged back, causing him to stop, “What’s going on?” you ask again, crossing your arms over your chest.

“Those serial killers I told you about, the ones that escaped. There’s one named Peter Lewis, also known as Mister Scratch. He’s highly intelligent and uses drugs to basically hypnotize people and do whatever he wants. He kidnapped Tara’s brother and everyone on the team is having their loved ones go into hiding for the time being.”

You shake your head, “Spencer, I just can’t go into hiding. I have my shop to run.”

Spencer admired your stubbornness, but at this moment, he absolutely hated it, “Y/N, this is serious. A serial killer is targeting. Hotch resigned because Mr. Scratch was seen stalking Jack! I don’t want anything to happen to you!”

“Spencer, I can take care of myself. Stop worrying about me.”

He scoffed, “Stop worrying about you? Stop worrying about you?! I can barely stop thinking of you!” he throws up his hands as he bursts out, “You’re one of the most important people to me and I can’t help but think that any day is the day I lose you and I hate that! And I’m trying to potentially save your life here! As an FBI agent and your best friend, I have to try! So please, Y/N, don’t fight me on this. I can even arrange for you to stay with Will and the boys. I’m sure Henry and Michael would love to see you.”

You groan throwing your head back in defeat, “Fine. Fine! I’ll let you do your job! Let me go get my things and lock up.”

“Thank you,” he mumbles as he gives you a quick tight hug and a kiss on the head.

He lets you go to the back, and he hears you talking to your employees and he could hear you ask them to lock up for the rest of the day. Then you’re coming back out yelling out good-byes and you follow him out to your car, “Am I allowed to get some things from my place first?”

“Yeah. But leave your electronics there, okay? Mister Scratch is highly skilled at hacking and he could potentially track you through your phone or laptop.”

“Got it. Okay. This isn’t scary at all,” you mumbled as you got into your car and started to head back to your apartment. 

“You know I just want to keep you safe, right?” you glance at him and he sees his eyes filled with fear and guilt.

You reach over, grabbing his hand, “I know, Spencer.” you bring it back so that you can make a turn, “What about your mom?”

“I already had some agents sent over to protect her.”

“Good. That’s good.”

Throughout the entire drive home, your body is buzzing with anxiety. Your life is potentially on the line. This is the type of stuff you just have to deal with when your best friend is an FBI agent.


	22. “I wish I could stay here forever. Just me and you”

“Spenceeeeerrrr!” you sing out your best friend’s name from his living room. 

“Yeah, bubs?”

“I want more wiiiiiine!” you sing again in your drunken state. 

He comes from the kitchen with a sliced apples and a glass of water, “I think you’ve had enough wine tonight, bubs.” he hands you the glass and you gulp half of it down. You then take an apple slice and bite into it with a smile.

“But wine’s good!”

“True, but you’re also very drunk right now.”

“No, I’m not.”

“Yes, you are,” he says with a chuckle and sets down the plate of apples on his coffee table. 

“Am not.”

“If you’re not drunk, then get up and walk in a square.”

You look at him confused, “A square? That’s weird. Why are you gonna make me walk in a square?”

“Because I’m weird and walking in a circle will be too easy for you. So,” he leans back on his couch looking at you expectantly, “Wanna prove me wrong?”

You finish off your apple slice and wipe your hands on your jeans. You rise into a wobbly stand and move to a more open space, “Watch this!” You move in, not really a square. Maybe a hexagon? And when you finish you look at him and go, “Hah!”

Spencer laughed, “That wasn’t a square, Y/N.”

“Was too! You’re just too dumb to see it!” you stagger back to the couch, plopping beside Spencer and resting your head on his shoulder. You sigh, “I’m a lil’ sleepy.”

“Let’s get you to bed then,” he helps you stand once more and keeps you up as he guides you to his bedroom. He pulls back the covers and you roll onto the side you usually sleep on. He moves to leave, but you catch him by his wrist.

“Staaaay,” you whine and he gives you a soft smile.

“Okay,” he whispers and goes to slip into the other side of the bed. As soon as he’s settled, you roll over, resting your head on his chest. 

You sigh in content and mumble, “I wish I could stay here forever. Just me and you and bed and sleep.”

“Me too,” he murmurs back, arms wrapping around you as you slowly fall into a drunken sleep. When he knows you’re fully asleep, he slips out of bed and quickly goes to change into his pajamas and brush his teeth. He eventually finds his way back into bed with you, arms winding around you protectively. He whispers, “Goodnight, bubs,” and kisses you on the forehead before he, too, falls asleep.


	23. “Thankgodyou’reokay-”

Spencer was freaking out after you called him. He was on a case in Oregon and you called him in a panic saying your side has been hurting and it wasn’t going away even after you took some meds. Now you were on your way to the hospital. Spencer insisted that he’d come back, but you persisted. People’s lives were at stake and you ensured him that you’ll be okay without him. 

But that didn’t stop him from worrying.

While he continued on with work, the team could clearly see that he was suddenly distracted. 

JJ, being the closest to him than anyone else on the team, pulled him aside, “Hey, Spence? You okay?”

He nodded, “Yeah. I’m alright. Why?”

The blonde crosses her arms over her chest, looking up at her friend with concern in her eyes, “We’ve all noticed you looking a little distracted. Did something happen with your mom-”

“Y/N’s in the hospital.”

JJ gasps, “Is she okay?”

He shrugs, “I don’t really know. She called me earlier yesterday telling me she was experiencing some pain in her side and said that she’d take some medication for it. Then at night she called me again, said she was heading to the hospital because the pain was getting worse.”

“Have you heard from her since then?” JJ asks, putting a reassuring hand on Spencer’s shoulder.

He shakes his head, “I’ve tried calling this morning. I even texted her. But nothing. I really hope everything is okay.”

“You don’t want to fly back-”

He shakes his head again, “I wanted to, but she told me to stay here and help finish this case. She’s right, people’s lives are at stake. She’ll-She’ll be okay. If she’s still in the hospital by the time we solve this, then I’ll go see her.”

JJ pulls him in for a hug, “Y/N’s strong, Spence. She’ll be okay.”

“I know. Thanks, JJ.”

“Of course.”

________________

Well. Turns out you had appendicitis. Your appendix ruptured, which is why you were experiencing so much pain. You had gone into surgery around two in the morning. And after that, you were knocked out due to the medication the doctor gave you. You were in and out of sleep, but somehow, you managed to tell one of your nurses to call Spencer and let him know you were okay. 

“Hello?”

“Hi, is this Spencer Reid?”

“Yes, this is he. Who am I speaking to?” Spencer’s brows furrowed in confusion.

“Hi, I’m calling from Sibley Memorial Hospital. Y/N L/N requested we’d call you to let her know she’s okay.”

“Oh. Thank you. Um, what-what was wrong with her?”

“Appendicitis. So we had to remove her appendix.”

“Okay. How long will she be staying there?” Spencer murmurs as he fiddles with the hem of his sweater.

“Probably another two more days just for observation purposes.”

“Okay. Thank you so much. I really appreciate you calling me.”

“Of course. You have a good day, sir.”

“Thanks. You too.” he ended the call and let out a breath of relief. 

Emily looked up at him with a curious gaze, “Everything alright?”

He nodded, “Yeah. Y/N’s in the hospital for appendicitis. She had her appendix removed and will probably be in the hospital for a few more days.”

“Do you need to-”

“No. She’ll be alright. She actually made me promise to finish up here before I go see her. So.”

“We’re always happy to have you, Spencer,” She gives him a kind smile and goes back to looking over the files of the victims.

_______________

They solved the case within a day. As soon as the unsub was arrested and brought in, the team rushed back to the jet, so that Spencer could see you. 

It was late when they arrived. Spencer had slipped into your room around three am and you were knocked out, as he expected. 

He looked down at your sleeping body, hand stroking your cheek as he murmured, “I’m here, bubs,” he then bent over, pressing a kiss to your head and settled into the chair beside you. 

With one last look at you, he pulled his jacket over his body and fell asleep.

The next morning, there’s soft murmuring. People….talking? Spencer’s brows scrunch together as he slowly stirs from his slumber. It’s a lot brighter than when he got there. He’s squinting his eyes and he grunts as he sits up. His back and neck are killing him, but that doesn’t compare to the pain you must’ve felt. 

“Hey, Speedy,” you murmur with a chuckle and Spencer quickly rubs the sleep from his eyes, “Y/N!” he got up and went over to hug you, “Thankgodyou’reokay-”

You winced, “Ow-”

“Oh no! I’m so sorry! I was just-I’ll get a nurse!” he moves to run out, but you catch him by his sleeve.

“Spencer, it’s okay. I’m okay. Just-a little too much movement kind of hurts.”

“Sorry,” he murmurs the apology again as he lowers himself back into the chair, “for hurting you and not being there when you needed me.”

You roll your eyes at him, “You barely hurt me, and those people needed you more than I did.”

“Still. I know you don’t really like hospitals. I’m sure going into surgery was scary for you.”

“It was, but I’m a big girl, Speedy Reidy. I can take care of myself,” you give him a light shove and you chuckled, “But you did catch the unsub right?”

He scoffed, “Of course!”

You sat up with an excited smile on your face, “Tell me about it.”

Spencer softly smiled at you, a smile of fondness and disbelief. Despite you being in pain less than twelve hours ago, you still try to be as upbeat and excitable as ever. That’s one of the reasons why he loves you so much.


	24. “I won’t admit that I missed you”

You awaited at the terminal, watching as several people got off the plane. You went on your tippy toes trying your best to get a view of the passengers coming towards the on waiting group of people. 

Then you spotted that all too familiar head of brown curly hair, “Speedy!” you wave your arms over your head catching his attention. You see that as soon as his eyes set on you, they lighten up. 

He shifts his duffle on his shoulder and makes his way to you, excusing himself as he squeezes through reuniting couples, friends, and families, “Hey, bubs!” his arms wrapped you giving you a tight hug. 

“Did ya miss me?” you ask teasingly, nudging his shoulder with your hand. 

He shrugs, “Eh.”

You snort, “Fine, I won’t admit that I missed you, then.” you stick your nose up in the air and began walking away. 

Spencer chuckled, rushing after you and hugging you from behind, “You know I missed you.”

“Of course you did,” you reach behind and ruffle his hair, “Come on. Let’s get some lunch and you can tell me how your mom’s doing!” you grab his hand and practically drag him back to your car, and throughout that time his hand was in yours, he felt like you two were really together. 

______________

Spencer pauses from eating to watch you happily dig into your plate of red curry. Whenever you’re excited to eat, you do a little happy dance, which always brings a smile to his face. 

You moan when you take the first bite, “I’ve been craving this ever since you left for Vegas.”

His brows furrowed in confusion, “You hadn’t gone here since I left?” You shook your head and he asked, “Why?”

You shrugged, “I guess it didn’t feel right. This is one of our spots, plus it’d just make me miss you more if I came here alone.” you shook your head and took a sip of your thai tea, “But anyway, how’s your mom?”

“Still the same. She asked about you, actually. She wanted me to tell you that she hopes you’re doing well.”

You placed your hands on your chest, “Aaawww. I love Diane so much! She’s a hoot!”

“A hoot?”

“Oh, I’ve gotten a regular, this older guy in his sixties always on the look out for something pretty to give to his wife. Anyway, whenever he finds something he says, ‘Laurel will get a hoot outta this!’“ you pause to giggle, “I guess he’s rubbing off on me. Sweet guy, very kind. I think you’d be like him when you grow old.”

Spencer scrunches up his nose in confusion, “You’d think I’d frequent a vintage, antique shop searching for gifts for my wife?”

“Sorta? Moreso, books. But you dress like him,” you use your spoon to point at his sweater vest and he pouts, “It’s cute though.” 

Cute. She thinks you’re cute. Spencer blushes, and shyly smiles at you, “Thanks. Glad to know that my elderly fashion sense appeals to you.” 

You roll your eyes at him, “Everything about you appeals to me, Spencer. If not, we wouldn’t be friends! Anyway, was Janice there? Did she tell you any hot goss?”

You leaned in excitedly as Spencer broke out into a grin. There was this elderly woman at the home, Janice, and she was very nosey, always getting into people’s business, eavesdropping. She loved to share what she found out even though she wasn’t supposed to be sharing any of the details. And you? Well, you’re just as bad as Janice, you live for the drama, and Spencer found that very amusing.


	25. “I made it the way you like it”

After getting your visitor’s badge, you made your way to the bullpen where you see the team scattered around. Derek was at his desk chatting with Penelope and JJ. Rossi was speaking with Emily and Spencer was at his desk reading through some files. 

As you made your way closer to them, Emily waved, “Hey!” she’s the first one to approach you, giving you a welcoming hug, “What’re you doing here in our neck of the woods?”

You hold up a plastic bag, “Came to bring the genius his lunch.”

“Aaaaww, Pretty Boy got his lunch brought by Pretty Girl!” he tosses a paper ball your way and you dodge it, sticking your tongue out at him. 

Spencer moves past his team and gives you a hug, “Hey, I didn’t expect you to come by.”

You shrugged, “You said you were hungry, but you probably wouldn’t be able to be able to grab lunch. So I brought lunch to you with a treat for afterwards.”

“Brownies?” he asks excitedly.

You chuckle and nod, “I made it the way you like it.”

“Thanks, Bubs.” he hugs you again, kissing your head.

You look at everyone else to see them smiling at you and you clear your throat, “Um, I better go now.”

Spencer frowned, “You can’t stay?”

You shook your head, “I have to stop by the shop and help the newbies with a shipment.”

“Aaaww. Okay. I’ll call you later then,” he wraps his arms around you for a quick hug and then let’s you go, “Be safe.”

“I will. Have a good day, gang!” you smile and wave to the team and exit the bullpen. 

Derek gets up with a whistle, “You are one lucky guy, Reid,” he claps a hard hand onto Spencer’s shoulder and he winces.

“We’re just friends, guys,” already sensing what they’re getting at. 

“Uh huh. Suuuurre.”

“Whatever you say, kid.”

“Your relationship is your relationship. Even if it isn’t a relationship.”

“Not yet, anyways,” JJ says with a smirk and everyone snickers.

Spencer rolls his eyes and murmurs, “Whatever,” and sits back at his desk to delve into the lunch you provided for him.


	26. “I can’t stand not talking to you”

When JJ told you about Spencer’s arrest, you couldn’t believe it. She told you as much as she could and things just didn’t add up. There was no way that Spencer would take any drugs with his history of drug abuse. And there was no way he’d kill the woman that was supposed to be helping him help his mom. 

You didn’t like this, you didn’t like this at all. 

You immediately asked when you could see him, but JJ said it was complicated right now. Also, Spencer didn’t want you to see him. You understood where he was coming from, he didn’t think you, one of his best friends, should see him in such a predicament. But you still wanted to. You needed to see him and you needed to let him know that you believe in him. 

It wasn’t until two weeks after he’d been imprisoned that you saw him. 

When he saw you on the other side of the bench, he froze. You watched as he gulped and slowly approached his side of the bench. 

You give him a soft smile as he sat down, “Hey, Speedy.”

“Hi,” he murmured, “What’re you doing here?”

“I let you have your space, Spencer. I let it slide that you didn’t write me back. I-I can’t stand not talking to you. I can’t stand that I need to wait to hear from JJ or Penelope to know how you’re doing. Spencer, we’re best friends. I thought I mattered to you more than this.”

“You do, Y/N. God, of course you matter to me, that’s-that’s why I don’t want you to see me like this. I don’t want our happy memories together be tainted with this,” he gestures to himself and then the prison. 

You sigh, “Our memories could never be tainted, Spencer. They’re too precious for me to allow that to happen.” you clasp your hands together on the counter top, so desperate to reach over and hold Spencer’s hand, “I miss you.”

“I miss you too. It’s-Everything’s not all bad here.”

You snort, “You make friends?”

“Sorta,” he says with an amused smile, “He was an FBI agent like us. He killed one of his informants. He’s been helping me out.”

“That’s nice of him,” you give a reassuring smile and Spencer shakes his head, “Enough about me. Tell me what’s been going on.”

You run your hands over your hair and sighed, “So much, honestly. I’ve been going with JJ to visit your mom. Been spending a lot of time with Penelope when she’s free. She’s my new Doctor Who watching buddy,” you giggle and it makes Spencer smile. You shrugged, “I dunno what else to say. My life seems a lot more dull now with you…yeah.” you have a somber expression on your face and Spencer just wishes he could reach over and hug you. 

“The team is doing everything they can to figure out how to get me out. But just know that I’m okay, bubs. I’m thinking of you and everyone and counting down the days until I’m out.”

“Thinking of me? Then how come you don’t write me back?” you give him an accusing look and he sighs, “I just-I don’t know what I’m supposed to say, which is a first. With the team, I can put on a brave face and say everything is fine. But with you, I can’t. I don’t know. I really am fine, but-but I don’t want you to think about me like this.”

“I’ll always think about you, Spencer. You’re always on my mind no matter what I do.” you stare a him with a soft gaze, “Just tell me your thoughts and feelings or whatever. You don’t have to tell me about what’s happening here. I just want to hear from you, okay?”

“Alright, inmates. Visiting hours are over!” an officer hollers through the room. 

Your shoulders sigh in disappointment, “Guess I better go.”

“Yeah. Same here,” he murmurs and stands, “You’ll hear from me soon, bubs. I won’t leave you hanging anymore.”

“Promise?”

“Promise.”

You blow him a kiss and he just sheepishly smiles. When he lines up with the rest of the inmates, he’s looking at you until he leaves the room. 

You wrap your arms around yourself and let out a deep breath, “He’ll be okay,” you whisper to yourself, “He’ll be okay.”


	27. “I didn’t ask you to do that” “You didn’t have to”

When you saw Spencer, you gasped. He was sporting bruises on his face and before you could even ask, he said, “I’m fine. It looks a lot worse than it feels.”

“Spencer-”

“I promise, bubs. I’m fine. I got into an altercation with some other inmates. But I don’t want to talk about that. How are you?” you see the desperation on his face, the need to have some bit of normalcy. 

You concede and sigh, “Well, besides my best friend being locked up, everything’s fine, I guess,” you gave a shrug. Then a soft smile appeared on your face, “I actually took your mom to a museum. Well, JJ, Will, and the boys came too. And your mom’s new caretaker.”

“New?” Spencer looked at you confused.

“Yeah. Cassie died in a car crash, so the agency sent in another caretaker. She’s fairly young, but she seems to know what she’s doing.”

“Oh. Well, that’s good. And you didn’t have to take my mom to the museum. I didn’t ask you to do that.”

“You didn’t have to, Spencer. JJ and I thought it’d be nice for her to get out a bit, spend some time with the boys outside of your apartment. You know?”

He gives you a grateful smile, “Thank you, bubs.”

“Of course, Speedy.” you pulled out your phone and started swiping through pictures for him, “Here’s some pics from that day.” You continue to swipe through the pictures, telling him little tidbits of what occurred behind the picture and such. Spencer finds himself being able to breathe a little easier whenever you come around. He feels so stupid for not telling you about his feelings before this. Now, he may never get a proper chance. Whether he gets out of this or not, he’s certain you’d never want to be with someone as messed up as him.


	28. “Don’t move - I’ll get it for you”

“I’m stuffed,” you groan, laying your head on Spencer’s lap, the rest of your body splayed out on his couch. 

Spencer chuckles as he watches you rub your belly after having Thanksgiving dinner with JJ and her family, “I’m sure Will and JJ will be happy knowing their food incapacitated you.”

“Thanks again for bringing me.”

“Of course, bubs. Couldn’t let my best friend spend Thanksgiving alone.”

You snort, “Can’t believe my parents went to Europe without me! I wanna go to Europe.”

“We could go together. You, me, and my mom. We could go to all of the historical sites and museums.”

You hummed, your eyes fluttering close, “That sounds nice.” Then your phone starts to ring and you groan, “Noooooo! Don’t wanna answer it.”

Spencer chuckles and slips out from under you, “Don’t move - I’ll get it for you.” he goes over to your jacket and pulls out your phone, walking back and handing it to you, “It’s your mom.”

You push it back to him with a scrunch of your nose, “Answer it. I’m still upset with her.” you say with a pout.

With a smirk, he answers your phone, “Hello? Hi, Y/M/N. No, Y/N’s asleep. We just got back from my coworker’s Thanksgiving dinner. Yeah. Uh huh. Okay. I’ll let her know. Happy Thanksgiving too. Bye.” he ends the call and places your phone onto the coffee table. 

You raise your head so Spencer could take up his previous spot, “What she say?”

“They just woke up and they’re going to explore London. They just wanted to check in with you to make sure you weren’t alone on Thanksgiving.”

You snort, “Well good thing I have a great best friend like you,” you reach up and boop his nose and then proceed to yawn, “I should head home.”

You try to sit up, but Spencer pushes you down, “Stay. You’re too tired to drive.”

You give him a tired grin and pull the blanket that was hanging off the back of the couch, “No need to tell me twice.” You curl up in the blanket, head still resting in Spencer’s lap. 

He chuckles as he grabs a book from the lampstand beside him and he opens it up, relishing in the comforting silence and your company.


	29. “Tell me all about [thing/person their partner is interested in]”

On his days off, Spencer would either be spending his time with his mom or you at your shop. He received word that his mom was having a rough day and her doctor advised him not to visit today. Therefore, Spencer came to the shop and decided to help you price and place items. 

Currently, you two are going through boxes of books that were donated to your store. You pull out a book of fairy tales and smile, “I loved fairy tale stories when I was little. Still have a fondness for ‘em.”

You look up at Spencer and see he was about to speak, but you beat them to it, “Yes, I’m well aware of how dark and morbid the original stories are, Spencer.”

The corner of his lips quirks up and he chuckles, “What’s your favorite story?”

“Rapunzel. The original and the G rate version. Out of all of the adaptions to the story, I think Disney’s Tangled is my favorite. It’s-” you catch yourself rambling and you stop with a shake of your head, “Sorry. I’ll stop.”

Spencer shakes his head, “No, bubs, go on. Tell me all about Tangled.”

“You sure?” you ask hesitantly and he nods, allowing you to continue, “Okay. Well, from all of the children’s adaptions to the story, I like Tangled the best. I love the music and it shows a love growing over time. It’s not at an instant like a lot of the other love stories we see.” Your smile grows bigger when a specific scene pops into your head, “There’s this scene in the movie, it’s the scene where the love interest, Flynn Rider, realizes he loves Rapunzel.” you move your eyes away from Spencer as you look down at the book in your hands, “While she’s looking up at the lanterns in awe, he’s staring at her with so much love in his eyes. Just seeing that realization and love-I don’t know-it makes me hopeful, you know?” You place the book on a stack and move onto the next box of books. 

All the while, Spencer was looking at you, watching you speak about the things you love, giving you that same look that you just spoke about.


	30. “You won’t take care of yourself so I will”

You’re hunched over your laptop, notebook paper scattered all over your desktop. You have a deadline for NY TIMES and you’re STRESSED. You really thought that being a journalist was going to be fun, but really it’s annoying and intrusive sometimes and a little depressing. You’re not so sure you want to do this anymore, but it pays the bills so well and your parents are so proud of you. But uuuuggghhh!

Rrrrriiing! Rrrrriiiing!

You glance at your phone and see Spencer’s name staring up at you. You sigh and answer his call, putting him on speaker, “Hey, Speedy, I can’t really talk I have a deadline soon.”

“Oh, I was going to ask if you wanted to go out for lunch.”

Despite your grumbling stomach you declined, “Sorry, I really need to focus on this article.”

“Alright. Good luck on your article. I’ll talk to you later?”

“Yup yup! Sorry again!”

“It’s alright. Bye.” you end the call and go back to typing away at your laptop.

__________________________

And hour later, Spencer is calling you again. You’re a little halfway through your article and you feel like you should stop to eat, but you don’t. Instead, you’ve been drinking coffee to wave off the hunger. 

“‘Sup?”

“Open your door.”

“Huh?”

“Open your door, bubbles.” he insists and you stand from your desk, heading out to the door of your apartment and swing it open. Spencer’s standing there with a bag of takeout in his hand, his phone pressed to his ear still, “Hi!”

You end the call and look at him confused, “Uh, hi?”

“I brought you food. Can I come in?”

You move to the side and watch as Spencer heads to your kitchen, pulling out two plates and utensils, “Spencer, I have a deadline,” you told him. 

He nodded, “I know. But you probably haven’t eaten anything.” he takes note of the nearly empty coffee pot, “Coffee doesn’t count.”

You sigh, “Spencer, you really didn’t need to get me food.”

He shrugged, “It’s no problem, bubs. You won’t take care of yourself so I will.” he fills a plate with your favorite thai food and pushes it towards you, “Humor me.”

You sigh and approach him, giving him a hug, “Thanks, Speedy. I really appreciate it.”

“Of course. You’ll eat, drink liquids that isn’t coffee, and rest for the next hour. Doctors orders.”

You snort as you take your plate, “I thought you weren’t that kind of doctor.” You smirk at him as you sit at your couch, Spencer follow you and sitting beside you.


	31. “[talks dreamily about their future with their partner]”

When Spencer opens his door, he doesn’t expect to see you on the other side, “Bubs?”

You sigh and enter his apartment as he swings the door wider, “Well that sucked.”

He knew you had a date tonight, so he’s assuming that’s what you’re talking about, “What happened?”

You kick off your heels and curl up onto his couch, pulling the quilt he hands over the back and wrapping it around you, “The date started off great and then he kept pushing to come back to mine and I kept telling him that I’m not that kinda gal, but he kept trying to convince me. We were in the area, so I just hopped out of his car when we were at a stoplight and ran for it.”

Spencer’s eyes widened as he sits beside you, “How far did you run?”

“A few blocks,” you said with a shrug.

“Bubs, you should’ve called me or even texted me. I could’ve picked you up-”

You shook your head, “What’s done is done, Spencer. I just-ugh. Dating’s so hard nowadays.”

Spencer snorted and pulled you into his side, “Tell me about it. Guess it’s just you and me forever, huh?”

“Not like that’ll be a bad thing.”

“Really?” he looks at you with an amused smirk. 

You shrug, curling into his side, “Nah. We’ve known each other for so long, we’ve gone through a lot of stuff together. I think it’d work out fine. We’d move in together, some place that brings a lot of natural lighting. A space for an office for you with walls lines with your books, a place for me, a guest bedroom. Oh! A place with a porch so I could put a porch swing! And we could sit out there and read! Maybe even get a cat. You’re not a dog person and cats are chill. Very low maintenance. And then at the end of the day, we cuddle on the couch and enjoy each other’s company while watching either a foreign film you want to watch or one of my crappy reality tv shows! See, doesn’t that sound great, Speedy?”

Spencer rubs a hand up and down your arm as he looked at you, “Yeah. That-That sounds like a pretty good life.”

“Right? Who needs love and dating? Two best friends growing old together sounds amazing!”

Spencer continues to watch you as you spurt out more ideas for your imaginary future life together. His eyes are filled with a softness that he has strictly for you. Of course he’s imagined this with you, but in a different circumstance. He wants all of that with you, but with you as his wife. Yeah, having a cat would be great, but maybe mini Spencer’s and Y/N’s too. Only if that’s what you want. He just wants you, officially, forever. 

Maybe if he actually builds enough courage, he could tell you. And, hopefully, you’ll feel the same and, later on in life, you two could have the life you’re so fondly conjuring up now.


	32. “When am I going to see you next?”

Your phone is pressed in between your ear and your shoulder. You’re rifling through old postcards that someone had donated for your shop while you tell him about the latest truckload of inventory you received. 

“These people were probably mega fans, Speedy! A bunch of collectible Star Trek stuff! I’m tellin’ ya you’d love ‘em!”

You heard Spencer chuckle, “Bubs, you know I’m not really a toys kind of person.”

You snorted, taking some of the post cards to hang them up by the cash register, “And what are those Doctor Who items on your desk at your place considered?”

“...figurines.”

“Toys, Spencer, they’re toys!” exclaim as you move around your shop, placing items in different areas.

“They’re not toys, Y/N! Toys are played with and I don’t play with them!” you can practically see Spencer throw his hands in the air to emphasize his point.

You snort again, “Liar. I’ve seen you play with them a few times.”

“So-”

“Toys, Spencer.”

“Fine, fine,” he says with a chuckle, “Just set them aside for me to look at when I see you.”

“Uh huh and when am I going to see you next?” You hold your phone in your hand, waiting for him to respond. 

“Probably in a few days. I think we’re getting close on this case. I’ll come over to your shop, help out, have lunch?”

“It’s a date, Speedy!”

Spencer knows it’s just an expression, but still. Hearing you say those words makes his heart skip a beat. Meanwhile, you’re internally screaming because you don’t want him freaking out about it being a date even though you want it to be a date.

“It’s a date,” he murmurs back, “I’ll talk to you later okay?”

“Sure. Stay safe.”

“Always.”

And with that, he ended the call, leaving you to thump your head against the brick wall of your store murmuring over and over again, “Stupid. Stupid. Stupid.”


	33. “I was thinking of you”

Spencer is sitting at his desk looking at files for the current case him and the team started working on. Wheels go up in thirty and they’re flying over to California. Spencer pauses from the files and picks up his desk phone. He dials your number and listens to it ring. 

You answer it with a cheery, “Hey! _I was just thinking of you_! I saw this new Indian restaurant while I was out and I thought we could try it after the movie tomorrow!”

“Yeah, about that, sorry, bubs, we got a case in California.” he starts playing with the corner of one of the papers in the file. 

You sigh in disappointment, “Man. I was really looking forward to the movie, but it’s fine. You’ve got lives to save, Speedy. I can’t be mad at you for that.” 

Spencer let’s out a sigh of relief that you aren’t upset with him. You and he finally got your schedules synched up and you two were going to watch a foreign film and have dinner after. Looks like that’ll have to be pushed back.

“I’m really sorry, bubs.”

“I know, Spencer, but it’s okay. Really. I promise I’m not mad. A little bummed out, yeah, but not mad. When you do you leave?”

Spencer looks at his watch and sighs, “About fifteen minutes, so I really should go.”

“Okay. Be safe. Call me when you can.”

“Always. I’ll see you in a few days.”

“Okay, bye, Speedy! Good luck!”

_______________________________

It’s about quitting time for you. You finish your article two days before the deadline, so there’s really nothing else for you to work on. 

You exit your office and wave good0bye to some of your fellow journalists that are staying back. You head out to the parking garage and get into your car. As soon as you buckle your seatbelt, your phone rings. It’s Spencer. 

“Hey, Speedy!”

“Hey! I just got back! Are you off work?”

As you start your car, you reply, “Yep. Just got off. Dinner?”

“You read my mind. Pick me up?”

“Of course! See you in a bit!”

“Okay. See you!”

You end the call and toss your phone back into your bag. You let out a breath of relief and mutter out, “Thank you,” not to anyone in particular. You’re just grateful that Spencer arrived back home, back to you, safely.


	34. "You're worth it."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: parents display some toxic traits

You really wish you didn’t have to be here. You knew having lunch with your parents would result in them badgering about two things: 1) how you quit your job in journalism to open your antique store and 2) finding a significant other. 

They’ve managed to not talk about either subjects within the first ten minutes and then your dad brought up how his coworker’s son works for the Forbes and could probably get you an interview and possibly take you out on a date. 

Time and time again, you said you’re over journalism, it isn’t your passion anymore and that you also weren’t looking to date. 

“What about that Agent Reid guy? You’re still friends with him, right?” your mom asked.

You sighed and then said, “First off, it’s Doctor Reid, not agent. Second, yeah we’re still friends, but that’s it.” It’s not entirely true. You’ve harbored feelings for Spencer for a while, but you’re sure he doesn’t feel the same way. So you kept your feelings to yourself.

“But doesn’t he work for the FBI?”

“Yeah, but he likes to be referred to as Doctor. He has three PhDs. Show him a little respect.” you spit out the last part and both of your parents roll their eyes. 

“You’re so sensitive.”

“We didn’t mean to offend you. Why must you get upset about every little thing we say and do?”

You place your hands on your lap to hide your clenching fists from your parents. You were ready to burst at them when you were saved by the bell, well, actually, the ringing of your phone.

You sigh and pull your phone out to see Spencer calling, “I have to take this.” You don’t wait to hear a reply as you stand and walk towards the bathroom and answer, “Hello?”

“Hey, Bubs. Sorry to bother you.”

You snort, “Please, you’re doing me a favor. Bother me all you want for the next hour or so.”

Spencer hums, “That bad?”

You sigh and run a hand down your face, “They lasted ten minutes before lecturing me about quitting journalism, about not having a significant other yet. Then they mentioned you and they called you Agent Reid, so I corrected them and said you liked to be referred to as Doctor since you worked hard for the title and then they got upset, badgering me about getting defensive and being sensitive. I just…help.”

Hearing the desperation in your voice Spencer cleared his throat, “Oh no, Y/N, my car seemed to have broken down. I need some help. Can you come and get me?” Spencer voices in a painfully obvious fake tone.

You chuckled and replied, “Well, of course, Doctor Reid. I’d be happy to help you out because I’m such a good friend!”

You both giggle and Spencer speaks up, “Come over? I can order takeout and we can watch Doctor Who or something?”

“I’ll pick up some food on the way. I’m thinking Vietnamese.”

“Sounds good. See you soon!” 

“See ya,” you end the call and head back to the table where your parents are waiting. Their food already arrived. You clear your throat and grab your bag and jacket, “Spencer’s car broke down and he needs me to pick him up.” You grab enough bills to cover your food, “Here. I’ll talk to you later.” And with that you bolt the fuck outta there.

______________________________

You arrive at Spencer’s half an hour later with a bag of pho and spring rolls. He swings the door open with a soft smile and says, “Hi. Um, I kinda feel bad about lying and having you skip out on your parents. They’ll probably be more upset with you, right?”

You shrug as you enter his place, going over to his coffee table and setting the food down, “ _You’re worth it._ But seriously, Speedy, you’re doing me a favor. I was seconds away from making a scene because they just wouldn’t quit!” you plop onto his couch and he sits beside you, “Well, I’m happy you’re here.”

You look at him with a fond smile, “I am too.” 


	35. 35.  "I’d rather just hang out with you, if I’m honest”

Spencer and the team had just gotten back from a case in Missouri. They all stumbled into the bullpen and came to a halt when they saw you sitting at Spencer’s desk. 

Spencer immediately broke out into a smile, “Hi!” And leaned in to hug you, oblivious to all of the smirks the team was shooting his and your way.

“Hey, Speedy!” you looked behind him and waved at the team, “Hey, guys!”

They all waved and greeted you as they went to their own respective desks and offices. You look back at Spencer, “Everything go okay?”

He shrugged, “As well as a case can be. Anyway, I’m ready for dinner if you are.”

“What? Spence, you’re not gonna join us for drinks?”

“Uh, well-”

“Speedy, you didn’t tell me they invited you for drinks! We could reschedule-”

“No, no, no! It’s just-”

“Ah, let the kid go. I’m sure Pretty Boy wants to spend some alone time with Pretty Girl,” Derek insinuates with a smirk and makes kissing noises. 

You playfully roll your eyes at Derek, “You’re such a child, Derek. Grow up.” you then looked back at Spencer, “You could have drinks and hang out with them, if you want.”

Spencer shyly smiles at you, _“I’d rather just hang out with you, if I’m honest.”_

You then looked back to Derek, Emily, Penelope, and JJ, “Sorry all! He’s mine for the night!” you hook your arm around his and you both head out of the bullpen. You stick your tongue at Derek and he tries to grab you, which makes you squeal and run away, Spencer in tow.

__________________

You and Spencer eat at this Italian restaurant that you’re sure would make Rossi complain. You’re looking up and down the menu trying to figure out what to eat. Spencer already decided so he just watches you with soft eyes as you verbally go through your decision process. 

“I’m feeling a salad, but their soup of the day sounds really good. I don’t know if I want pasta or some other entrée. Ugh! I don’t know why I’m so indecisive right now.” you look up with a pout and whimper, “Help.”

Spencer chuckles and looks down at his menu. He mentally numbers them off and closes his menu and yours, “Okay. Pick a number between one and eleven. Whatever number it is is what you’ll order.”

You beam at Spencer, “You’re a genius, Speedy!” you reach over ruffling his hair and he blushes.

“Well, I do have three PhDs and-”

“I know, I know. No need to give the spiel,” you say with a chuckle and he just smiles, “Okay. I pick….six.”

“Your choice is the eggplant parmigiana.”

You nod, “Huh. Never tried that before.”

“First for everything,” he says as he takes a sip from his water.


	36. “I really like your hands.”

“I really like your hands”

When you received the call from JJ, your heart stopped. You immediately left your place to head over to Quantico. Your entire being was bouncing with excitement and anticipation. When you got into the elevator, you were wringing your sweaty palms together. 

The elevator dinged and the doors opened to reveal Spencer and his mom hugging. Diana spotted you and pulled her away from her son, gesturing to you over his shoulder. 

He turns around and breaks out into a huge smile, "Y/N," he said your name in relief and pulled you into a big hug.

Your arms wrapped around his and you broke out into a sob, but a good one, "Oh, Spencer. I'm so happy you're back."

Spencer closed his eyes, relishing in your presence, your embrace, your smell, "I'm happy too."

When you pull away, Spencer thumbs away your tears, "I'm sorry. It seems I've been making you cry a lot these past months."

You shake your head, covering his hands with yours, "These are good tears now, Speedy." you let out a deep breath, "So are you going back to your place?"

He sighs, "It hasn't been released yet, so we were probably going to stay at a hotel-"

You interrupt him with a snort, "Spencer, you're not staying at a hotel. You can stay at mine for the time being."

"Bubs, I can't ask-"

"You're not asking," you then look to Diana, "Hey, Diana, you okay staying at my place for a little bit?"

"I don't mind it at all, sweetheart." she wraps an arm around Spencer and kisses his head, "Come on, honey. It's been a long day."

Spencer softly smiles at his mom and then you and says, "Okay."

____________

At your place, you get Diana situated in your bedroom and Spencer in your guest room slash office. Spencer just sits on the bed, dressed in some pajamas he'd left at your place previously. You've gotten ready for bed yourself, but you go to check on Spencer.

"Hey," you say softly, "You okay."

Spencer looks up at you with sadness in his eyes, "I'm scared to fall asleep. I'm scared that when I wake up, I'll be back in my cell again."

You walk over to Spencer and gently cup his face, "You're okay, Spencer. You're here. Your mom's here. I'm here. We're all safe. It's not a dream. You're out of there." you press a gentle kiss to his forehead and pull away slightly, "How about we watch some tv until you fall asleep? There's a lot you missed that I'm sure you'd like to catch up on."

You take his hand and pull him up and out of the room to your living room. There you have him sit on the couch, with you beside him. You pull a blanket over the both of you and turn on Netflix so he can catch up on the Doctor Who episodes he's missed. 

While watching, Spencer slowly slips his hand into yours. You look to him, slightly surprised, but then you interlock your fingers with his. You give him a shy smile. 

You go back to watching the show, but then Spencer murmurs, “I really like your hands.”

You look back at him, but he's not looking at you. His attention is on your hand intertwined in his and his thumb running over your hand. He continues, "It's so warm and soft. I forgot what warm and soft were. Everything in prison was so cold, hard, scratchy. I missed soft and warm things."

You pull up your interlocked hands and you kiss the back of his, "You don't have to deal with that hard, cold place ever again, Spencer. If you ever forget what something warm and soft feels like, you can always hold my hand."

"I like holding your hand," he shyly admits and you giggle with agreement, "I like you holding my hand too."


End file.
